Looking for Latin food in NYC? Yerba Buena has what I'm calling upscale Latin food with an innovative twist!

This small, modern eatery located right in East Village/Alphabet city, is the perfect place to get a great meal before a night out. The staff here is so friendly, it almost makes you feel like you're not in America, rather vacationing in some Latin American country. One of the waiters even helped one woman and myself put on our jackets as we were leaving!

I started the night with a cocktail that with the first sip made me feel like I was on a beach somewhere! I had never had pisco, which is a Peruvian, clear Brandy that has a subtle grape taste. The Guavarita was pisco-based with guava nector, cordials and lemon juice. It wasn't too sweet, which is why I ordered a second!

For appetizers, our waiter recommended the Croquetes--fried manchego cheese balls served with salsa verde. Basically, these tasted like fancy mozzarella balls with a little spice from the green salsa:

We also had their Chicharron de Calamar (fried calamari) that were prepared in such a unique way! The calamari were coated with a blue corn meal that gave it an extra crunch and put a fun Latin twist on such an Italian classic. I could've done without the raw tomatoes, but a nice surprise is that there are plantains served in this dish as well:

One of my favorites from the night were the Brisket Tacos which were just so tender and flavorful. I would come back for 2 orders of these with my Guavarita cocktail and call it a night!

My friend and I also split the Arroz con Pollo. Next to the brisket tacos, this was definitely my favorite. This is such a common dish in Latin America, but it was really done in an elegant way. The chicken is pan seared to get a really crispy skin and finished off in the oven to ensure it kept its moisture! Topped with fresh avocados and tomatoes and served over chaufa rice, a Peruvian version of fried rice, was just delish:

Lastly, we tried the chef's special that night which was a seared duck served with avocado and a manchego cheese potato gratin. In my opinion, they should make the potato gratin an appetizer on the menu!

Basically everything I ate and drank at Yerba Buena I would come back for and you should too! Head to East Village and order of their signature cocktails and I recommend ordering a few items off the menu. They are also known for their Ceviches, which we got a sampling of tuna with salmon roe and crunchy corn: